General Strategies for Home–School Interactions
The following ideas come from your authors’ and other writers’ experiences as well as from actual research (Arndt & McGuire-Schwartz, 2008: Kersey & Masterson, 2009; Keyser, 2006; Powers, 2005; Souto-Manning, 2010).
In person (informal):
· Say at least one positive thing whenever you talk with a parent.
· Stay both professional and friendly by refusing, clearly but pleasantly, if parents ask you casually for information about other parents.
· Respect the privacy of family members by discussing sensitive issues in secure locations out of earshot of others. People who overhear only part of a conversation may misinterpret; parents may well wish to keep conversations private.
· Be sufficiently available for chatting so that parents find you an easy person to talk to. Then, when difficult situations arise, they will feel more comfortable discussing them.
· Let parents know when they can most easily reach you by phone, e-mail, or other method; then, because you need time for yourself and family, stick to this schedule.